FIERCE MONSTERS

AT SUMMERWORKS 2012

FIERCE MONSTERS is a Western running approximately 65 minutes without an intermission.

Written by REBECCA BUTTIGIEG | Directed by JODY HEWSTON

MARGARET EVANS is The Woman
LAURA NORDIN is The Girl
GORDON S. MILLER is The Man

The Back Story:

In 1858, British Columbia and the surrounding areas experienced a massive gold rush in response to sensationalized and inaccurate reports by papers. Over twenty-five thousand men (mostly from the San Francisco area) descended on this small town only to find that they had made the hard journey for a paltry bit of gold dust. Broke and frustrated, they spent their time scrounging for anything that would help them get back to where they came from. The large First Nations’ population was disgruntled by the newcomers’ lack of respect for their property and trade laws. Tensions were compounded by faulty and often contradictory stories of violence inflicted by the People of the First Nations on the miners. When the tipping point occurred, panic spread like wildfire, quickly turning into a stampede of desperate people, rioting in the streets, firing their guns and trampling anyone in their way.

The Play:

A woman shoots her way to the safety of a cabin and barricades herself inside. Her years of experience as a cowboy have made her adept with weapons as well as quick on her feet. Her attitude reflects that of someone who has seen a lot and is willing to make hard choices when it comes down to kill or be killed. She reluctantly helps a girl who, also escaping the madness bursts into the cabin and collapses before she can be sent packing. These two strangers are forced into getting to know each other as they struggle to survive the onslaught of the miners’ riot, and what may happen afterwards.